Ricochet
by Jay K. Elle
Summary: All three met him. All three survived. Order 66 has forced them to hide, and since they can't get off-planet, that only leaves one remaining option: To flee to the Undercity of Coruscant. They're all forced to their limits as they struggle to survive in the dangerous new environment; one that will tear down the morality the Jedi Order have seemingly tried to shelter for so long.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So I've recently been rewatching The Clone Wars, which has prompted some fanfic ideas to rattle around in my head. But when I opened my Pages to start a new story, I found this little piece in the depths of my computer, and I thought, 'hey, let's post this and see where it goes!'. So that's exactly whats going to happen.**

**Anyways, I hope this story doesn't completely fail, but it's up for you readers to decide. Please leave a reply for me, even if it's just a little 'go ahead' to signal for me to continue; however, any input or comment will be greatly appreciated. Your feedback is going to be my deciding factor whether to continue this story or not.**

**_Ricochet _will follow the lives of three young Jedi during and after Order 66. Throughout this, you will see the appearances of some beloved charries and some new ones.**

**Without further ado, I humbly present to you, _Ricochet._**

* * *

-Prologue-

It felt like a renewed slugthrower wound, torn open and burning as if jabbed savagely with a deadblade.

Well, Maeve had never been injured by a slugthrower, or jabbed with a deadblade, but the teen imagined it felt very much like this.

Her lightsaber, which had been slowly turning in her slim fingers, fell to the ground with a metallic clatter that echoed throughout the rounded room with a tinny reverberation. Her eyes sprung open, pupils dilating to adjust to the dim lighting in the meditation room, blowing up and thinning out the dark brown irises. After a moment they settled on the cylindrical weapon leisurely rolling away from her. She moved from her cross-legged position on the round cushion and timidly set a booted foot on the ground, nervous as to making any more sounds.

The sudden movements after sitting for so long sent tendrils of pain shooting through her stiff body that stumbled her exertions. Her hand came up to her chest then, just below the left shoulder, palm flat against the thin material of her tan robes. Her heart ached with each increasing beat, shuddering throbs searing across her entire body, making her breathing suddenly come in short rasps.

Something was wrong. So terribly and utterly _wrong_.

And it had been so for a few minutes, she knew. But Maeve had decided to stay stubbornly seated, aware of her Master's at-the-time infuriated threat if she dared to move from the meditation room. So instead, she had shut her eyes tighter, using her diminishing anger and energy of their heated argument to instead focus on the pain and try to pinpoint its origins.

But now, oh now it was erupting tenfold. And it had become so hard to _concentrate_.

The padawan learner bent to pick up her lightsaber, despite the protests of her body, then straightened to face the door opposite her. An unsettling feeling set in her stomach. Unconsciously the device turned in her hand before settling in the all-too familiar spot with the activation button just under her thumb. She might need it, she realized.

A slender hand came up to push shoulder-length dark brown hair behind her ear as she tilted her head to the side, eyes studying the durasteel door. Her fingertips brushed along the thin braid tied off with a leather strap, the most recent source of the master-padawan arguments, but she paid no attention to it.

Instead she waited, absorbed with the furling and unfurling Force signatures within the area, and the eery silence became deafening to her human ears.

She predicted it, but still the _snap-hiss _just outside the durasteel enclosed room had her nerves jumping and muscles flinching before she was able to mentally strain herself to calm down. Her body acted separately from her brain, involuntarily shivering, and she realized she was at a complete lost as of how to react to this kind of situation. She just listened past her shallow breathing and thundering heartbeat, which was still pulsating with aching ripples of emotions she didn't want to acknowledge, to the corridor outside.

Buzzing and humming, purring and droning, the laser sword killing, oh Force _killing_, was almost visible to Maeve, meeting its targets perfectly, deadly strokes taking out the most prepared and skilled Jedi Knights. The thumps after each swing made her shudder, and she once more had to strain her mind to stay relaxed. The pain in her chest kept escalating, threatening her almost-calm demeanor. She shut her eyes tight.

_Think._

A moment, then her dark eyes opened, before going straight up to the air-duct to her left.

-oOo-

Treegan was too young to recognize the pain.

He was far too young, far too inexperienced, to feel the trembles in the Force, pulsating and twisting like a dark, constant drumbeat. It was an older Initiate who felt the waves first, just after the Jedi Masters of course, and glanced around the fluorescent-lit hallway with a surprised countenance that rivaled his previous melancholy one. His eyes landed on Treegan, who just looked back in confusion.

Master Tele, the current Jedi Master in charge of the transportation branch of the Council of Agricultural Corps, stopped her pacing in front of the two teenage boys, both of whom looked up at her questioningly. She ignored them however, green eyes narrowed instead at the columned, wide corridor winding out before them. She vaguely heard the light chatter of the Initiates surrounding her come to a stop, followed swiftly by the silencing of the beeping datapads that had been taking attendance. The distinct sound of blaster bolts replaced the brief silence.

Knight Ten-See emerged at the Jedi Master's side, one hand coming to rest on the lightsaber hinged to the cloth belt wrapped around her hips, while the other coiled more tightly around the datapad she was holding. She threw an anxious look up at the leading Master, blue eyes going wide as tightly spiraled curls haloed her head and brushed across the tops of her shoulders. During the short introduction of the Initiates and the the Knights, Treegan had grown fond of her the quickest, deciding that her wild, curly hair matched her wild and brazen attitude. But now, that boldness and confidence had been leaked from her pretense, and instead a pallid alarm took over. The older woman sent an equally alarmed glance back of the younger, who nodded in silent assertion.

Master Tele turned to catch the attention of the final jedi of the escort group, Knight Kano, to find that he had frozen in place, one finger held slightly above the touch screen of another datapad. His jaw was slack, the tips of his teeth visible behind facial hair-hidden lips, and his grey eyes flickered between his two comrades and the hallway past them. The Initiate he was no longer talking to returned a draw-string bag to his right shoulder as he stared questioningly at the shell-shocked adults.

That was when the first blaster bolt appeared.

The boy next to Treegan threw out his arm, pinioning the younger to the cool ceramic wall as the blue bolt whizzed by, only to be deflected back down the hall by Master Tele. Knight Kano jumped in front of the Initiate with the draw-string bag, lightsaber burning to life in front of him, deflecting another bolt back down the hallway. It narrowly missed Ten-See, who jumped back just in time, her own lightsaber activating and glowing azure by her side.

That was when the chaos erupted.

The full scale of what was happening hit the Initiates a moment later. Three screamed, four tried to activate their own lightsabers, and seven of the nine remaining scattered from their seats on the plasteel benches. Knight Ten-See tried to calm down the ones closest to her, only to be interrupted by another wave of blaster bolts coming her way.

Some of the children dodged behind the nearest columns, heads ducked and arms raised in a beeline towards safety. Treegan was included, but he was actually pushed behind it by the older boy who had sat next to him. He started to mumble out a stuttered 'thank you' but was shushed by the older boy when he activated his lightsaber and joined the Knights and few other Initiates.

"What's going on?"

Treegan's gaze was torn away from the boy's retreating back to the hiding Initiates scattered around him. It was a Togruta girl standing about three columns away, staring at him with startled brown eyes. Shuffled closely to about four other Initiates who had darted to the same hiding spot, she was the one closest to him, her side and right lek pressed against the column, while her left hand laid palm-down against the ceramic surface in front of her face. Treegan ducked as his column rumbled against his back, then shouted out a hoarse: "I don't know!"

The girl let out a petrified scream as one bolt skimmed across the column about an inch from her hand, nicking the smooth surface. It ricocheted askew, hitting another column and sending those kids into equal hysterics.

"Is everyone alright?"

Knight Ten-See's voice sent Treegan's heart pounding. A few 'yes's came from the kids who still had some control over their shocked selves. Risking a glance around the column towards the disembodied voice, Treegan was happy to see all three Knights and five Initiates still standing, backs to them, lightsabers ignited in different defense forms. Blue and green blades buzzed in excitement, flashing back the bolts that now came in a slow trickle. Knight Ten-See cast a glance over her shoulder, hair bouncing, and she made eye contact with Treegan.

"Go."

His mind worked slowly, the simple word tossing and turning in a brain that refused to register the command. At last it clicked, sending a wave of shock through his small frame.

He couldn't.

Looking past them, Treegan noticed the white glow of figures in the darkened hallway. They were clumping together, forming a mass, and Ten-See turned back to face her approaching opponents. The air filled with the ozone of new blaster bolts, most of which started to hit their targets with precise accuracy.

Treegan pulled back, aghast, and another couple of bolts made contact with his column. Hands trembling, he managed to pull out a pair of spectacles hooked into the 'V' of his robes and jam them onto his face. He looked back around the column's edge.

But it couldn't be _true._

They were troopers, _clone_ troopers, lining up along the width of the corridor, the first row kneeling down and leveling their blasters while another group filed in behind them. The jedi flanked together, forming a 'V'-like defense, but every once in a while a bolt got by them.

It was a mistake, his mind rebuked as he hid himself once again behind the column. They must be frauds, disguised bounty hunters who had hidden on a transport to the Jedi Temple.

Next to him, an Intiate crumpled to the ground, felled by a ricocheting blaster bolt. The Togruta girl softened his fall, catching him in her thin arms just before his head hit the floor. She stared at his face for a moment, then her brown eyes once more met Treegan's.

"What do we do?"

Treegan numbly shook his head. A feeling passed over him at that moment, a sudden grieving sensation that made him want to curl up in his bedroom and cry.

Peering around the column for what was hopefully the last time, his eyes landed on the fallen Ten-See, and for some reason it made him know the truth, understand what really was going on as all the unwanted pieces lined up. Crumpled on the floor in a mass of blonde curls and brown robes, Ten-See's hand was outstretched, lightsaber in the process of rolling away. Her eyes were still wide open, staring blankly at the high ceiling, and her mouth ghosted the last words that she had said.

"_Go."_

So he did.

* * *

**So that's the beginning. As you can see I have only introduced two of the three going-to-be main charries. (It's actually because it's the only completed part on my computer). Remember to leave a reply because the continuation of this story hangs on you, my beloved readers.**

**Love, from Jay.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I had a surge of creativity when I found this half-finished piece on my laptop. So here's the next part! Leave your comments, please! I'd love to hear your opinions on this little ficlet. **

**Love from Jay. **

* * *

Maeve had to force herself not to look.

The vent opening beneath her let out into one of the Temple's many hallways. The orange glow of the lights cast upon the ceiling had drawn her attention to that particular direction after she had blindly maneuvered through the ducts for what felt like hours. But now, the sense of security that had come with the familiar orange glow had vanished to be replaced with a horrifying realization.

Beneath her, bodies lay splayed like an organic mosaic against the darkly stained carpet.

Her eyes had went wide as the true reality hit her. Of course, she had understood what was happening when she was standing in the meditation chamber, but _seeing_ it? Seeing the bodies of people she once knew? Once talked to or ate a meal with?

It was horrifying.

And she had to force herself not to look.

But it was one of those situations in which she could do nothing but stare dumbfounded at the cemetery beneath her, and only imagine that it was spread Temple-wide.

She could do nothing but stare upon the faces that were gazing up at her, glossy-eyed and pale.

She could do _nothing._

The pain she had felt earlier had settled into a numb feeling that her body accustomed to as she had moved inch by inch through the labyrinth of venting ducts. She felt a hint of that now as her eyes watered and stomach lurched. Swallowing, she encouraged a trembling hand as she shifted her weight back to her knees and let the Force wash over her. The grated barrier snapped off its hinges, levitating a few inches in front of her face before settling into a position against the left wall.

Maeve moved forward, sliding first her knees and legs through the opening before letting the rest of her body hang from the air duct. Dropping, she felt her ankles give way slightly at the landing, but she quickly recovered, straightening and feeling for her lightsaber still attached to her hip.

She couldn't look.

Keeping her head up, she sprinted forward, using a guide from the Force to keep her away from any lifeforms and direct her down interlacing hallways and corridors. It didn't take her long to find a place completely devoid of corpses, so she stopped, leaned against the wall momentarily, then turned around and placed her forehead against it.

_I can't do this. My Master was right_.

She brought a hand up to her face, swiping at both tears and sweat that lined her cheeks and mouth and under her eyes. Her body convulsed, stomach twisting and knotting as she felt the sudden urge to throw up. Shutting her eyes tight, she crossed her arms over her torso and bent over slightly, using the wall as leverage to let herself fall into a sitting position.

She had never seen battle; her Master had never allowed her to.

She registered a presence then, and she screamed in terror despite herself. Through tear-blocked eyes, she could make out the figure of a woman, dressed in long black robes, staring down at her.

"Master?"

"Maeve. You need to keep moving."

The girl blinked. Once, twice, then three times to let her mind fully take in the tall woman in front of her. The Mirialan's olive green skin held a slightly more grey tone to it, and the black hair and eyes seemed to shine with an even darker glint than usual. Maeve's breath hitched in her throat as another wave of pain wrenched through her body at the sudden realization.

"You're dead." Maeve said, eyes abruptly unblinking. She sought out her Master's gaze.

Master Kachina Wen nodded. "Maeve, you need to get up and keep moving." She repeated. "The Temple isn't safe."

"But I don't understand. What happened? How did you-"

"Padawan!"

Master Wen's rising tone had the girl snapping her mouth shut. A wave of annoyance and anger passed over the teen as she clenched her jaw to keep from retorting. Fisting her hands, Maeve struggled back to her feet.

"Work your way out of this spire and go down toward the main levels." Kachina continued after a moment of regaining her composure. "Keep out of sight. You'll need to get out of the Temple as quickly as possible."

It was Maeve's turn to nod, though not without a stubborn edge to it. "I'll stick to the service corridors. Maybe find some others. I'll get out, I promise."

"Good." Wen replied. She paused. "Maeve, I'm sorry we had to part on bad terms. There's so much we still need to talk about. But time is of the essence, and I don't want to be taking up any more of it. May the Force be with you."

"Thank you, Master. A-And may it be with you." Maeve finished the sentence with a slight bow at the waist. When she looked back up, the Mirialan was gone.

The ground gave a violent shudder that tore the girl's attention away from now-empty corridor. As she regained her balance, hand automatically slipping around the hilt of her lightsaber, she glanced around nervously, eyes catching the dust slipping from the hallway's light fixtures to float slowly down to the carpeted floor.

As another shudder ran through the foundation, Maeve began to run.

-oOo-

Treegan had no idea how many of his comrades had fallen. Were falling.

He didn't pay attention to them. He just repeated the last word Knight Ten-See had mouthed to him like a mantra in his head, spinning and raveling and growing louder with the pitch and accent of her voice. He recognized his name being screamed at him from behind, but he didn't turn to acknowledge the person screaming it. It could have been a student. Or a teacher. He really didn't care.

He just had to get out.

Several student's had tried to follow him. Whether to take his lead in finding safety or to pull him back to the shadows with the other students he didn't know. He saw a couple of them fall out of the corner of his eye, but his brain didn't register their deaths.

He was numb. His ears locked out the screams and shouts. His eye's locked out the corpses. His limbs locked out his brain's control, refusing to stop his breakneck speed at any circumstance. He was just numb. It was all too much.

Some part of his brain did have control though; the small part that had enabled him to routinely head to his classes even while his mind was distracted by a datapad. He turned a sharp left, palming open the door to the janitorial closet.

With the push of a shelf, and the relocation of some inconvenient crates, Treegan had the ventilation grate off it's hinges and aside within moments. Crawling through and thanking the small stature he had retained all these years, he kicked down the grate that was just a few feet from his entrance point.

The service corridor beyond the short duct had helped him get to his Economics class on time on more than one occasion. He knew its branches and dead ends better than any other corridor in the Temple, and he knew just the way to get him to a landing dock.

A shudder ran through the structure. Treegan instinctively put his hands on the nearest wall and held his breath. Above him, the fluorescent lights vibrated flickered.

Treegan waited for the shaking to subside before he let his breath out. A bomb. And a big one by the duration of the vibrations.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. Not too close, but still big.

Treegan threw himself forward. The ground gave another shudder, more violent this time, and the young boy found himself suddenly head over heels, blind, and breathless. He scrabbled around for his spectacles momentarily, then jammed them back onto his face as soon as his fingertips made contact with their durasteel frames.

"T-Treegan?!"

The youngling in question looked up, squinting at the growing figure in the distance. A young Rodian, about his age, was sprinting towards him.

"Treegan, get up! We need to move!"

The Rodian Treegan quickly recognized as his classmate Maan waved his hands frantically at him. Treegan stumbled to his feet just as the youngling reached him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him forward.

"There are troopers coming through here!" Maan said. "They'll kill us. We can't be seen!"

"No." Treegan whispered, horrified, before he took the lead and half led, half dragged Maan through the corridor. "This way! There's a landing platform in this direction!"

Turning right at the first intersection they came across, Maan allowed himself to be dragged by the slightly smaller teen. The corridor behind them filled with shouts before the first blaster bolt appeared.

Treegan's free arm flew up to protect his head as he continued onward. Another intersection was fast approaching. All they had to do was-

Treegan's hand lost contact with Maan's. He heard the fall of a body, the loud _thump_ of flesh hitting metal.

"Tree-" The Rodian's call suddenly slipped into an incoherent gurgle before abruptly cutting off.

Treegan skidded around the corner, using the momentum to speed his run to a sprint. His hand felt cold without his classmate's grip. He hadn't known Maan too well, but now it looked as if he never would.

Fisting his hand, Treegan continued on. He made a few more turns just to be safe before slowing to a stop. Despite the adrenaline, his muscles ached with every pound his heart made. He bent over, coughing, hands fisted on his knees as he held back the churning feeling in his stomach.

The hammering of feet on the durasteel floor had Treegan straightening despite the sudden feeling of vertigo. He pressed up against the wall, though he doubted if anyone actually chose to look down the corridor he wouldn't be seen.

A Twi'lek female, a Master no doubt, rounded the corner with two toddlers in arm. One a Mirialan and one human, they both screamed loudly into her torso. The female caught Treegan's eye, and the boy automatically left the wall to meet her.

"This way." She said, surprisingly calm. Treegan let her voice wash through him before he picked up the pace to stay at her side.

"What's your name?" The Twi'lek asked.

"Treegan. Treegan Vendon." The human was surprised he still had his voice, however rough and shallow it was.

"You heading to the south landing deck?"

Treegan nodded before realizing the woman couldn't see him. "Yeah."

"Smart boy."

She slowed her pace, gently shushed the younglings in her arms, then pressed against the wall as she looked around the corner of a branching corridor. Treegan stopped at her side, easily sidling into the shadow her lithe body cast against the wall.

"Hall's clear."

Treegan nodded, following her as soon as she took off once more.

"I'll check the next one." Treegan said.

"No!"

The boy was pushed from behind, though with the Force rather than an actual body. As he lurched forward, the ground shuddered once, twice, then a third time. Treegan lost his footing, stumbling into an ungraceful heap on the floor. The ceiling gave then, fluorescent lights shuttering, cracking, and eventually falling with the durasteel foundation. One of the younglings the Twi'lek was carrying flew by him, missing the debris by just a few inches, before the ceiling hit the floor with a thunderous crash.

There was no sign of the Twi'lek or the other child.

Treegan straightened into a sitting position just as the pain came: a searing, ripping, pain that tore a scream out of the boy's throat. His leg gave a violent throb as Treegan clutched at his pants leg.

The Mirialan boy screamed in response from behind him. Running up to the older boy, the Mirialan pulled at his arm, searching with bright blue eyes.

As Treegan met his gaze, he suddenly knew he was going to die. The debris was too heavy to be lifted by a thirteen year old and a five year old. His leg was hopelessly pinned. The boy would die here too if he stayed.

"Go." He said, straightening his glasses on his face.

The Mirialan boy shook his head. "I don't know the way."

"Keep heading this way. Turn right the first chance you get. You do know what way is right, right?"

The boy gave him a pointed look. "Yes." He said, drawing out the syllable dramatically.

"Good. Keep going down that corridor. The landing deck will be all the way at the end."

The Mirialan nodded, but he made no move to go. Treegan was just about to push him when the ventilation grate just a few feet away from them shot from the duct like a cork. It loudly smashed against the opposite wall.

The Mirialan screeched and Treegan jerked away. Searing pain shot through his body.

A girl, about five or six years older than Treegan struggled out of the vent. Her eyes fell on the debris, the black hole that was now the ceiling, and finally on the two boys.

"How strong are you with the Force?" She demanded. Her eyes hardened.

"W-What?"

"Come on Initiate, how strong? If we were to lift that together, could we do it?"

Treegan looked over the debris. "I think so." He said slowly, meeting her brown-eyed gaze again. "But my leg would bleed out. I don't think I could make it far."

The girl nodded. "Opinion noted. But you can do it. You'll need to stay calm. Keep your breathing under control and release any panic into the Force."

Treegan nodded, dumbly. "O-Okay."

The girl rubbed her hands together, then backed up some. She addressed the young Mirialan. "You're gonna have to pull him out."

The child looked doubtful, but nodded nonetheless.

Closing her eyes, the teen raised her hands as she slowly let out a breath. The debris shuddered, sending another shockwave of pain through Treegan, but he grit his teeth and instead focused his attention on the warped durasteel. He put all his might into helping the girl raise the debris, though he doubted he actually was any help, and as soon as his leg was clear by a couple of inches, started sliding backwards with the help of his other foot. He felt the Mirialan's hands grab around his torso, and together, got Treegan's foot clear of the metal.

He didn't risk a look at his leg. He would throw up if he did. Instead, he focused on the silent actions of the girl as she hoisted his arm over her shoulder. She supported most of his weight.

Treegan motioned for the Mirialan to lead the way. With a nod, the boy ran on ahead.

"My name is Maeve. What's yours?"

"Treegan." The boy replied through gritted teeth. "My name is Treegan."

"You're gonna be fine, Initiate." Maeve said. Her voice was set, and Treegan used that encouragement as a tether for his focus.

* * *

**Tell me if I'm spurring any feeling from you guys. I would love to continue this story, but I need your encouragement. Leave a reply!**

**Love from Jay. **


End file.
